Rockets' Harden makes Houston proud

The Rockets' James Harden celebrates after hitting a 3-pointer in the second half. He finished with 15 points on 6-of-13 shooting, including 3-of-8 on 3-pointers.

The Rockets' James Harden celebrates after hitting a 3-pointer in...

James Harden's first All-Star Game highlight was a blast from his past, followed by a long-range shooting exhibition that Rockets fans hope will represent his future.

Harden, the Rockets guard acquired from Oklahoma City before the season, linked up with former Thunder teammate Russell Westbrook for a textbook lob/slam combination during the first quarter of Sunday night's NBA All-Star Game at Toyota Center.

In the third quarter, Harden added a pair of 3-pointers to help the Western Conference All-Stars stretch their lead in a 143-138 victory over the East. He added another 3-pointer in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter.

No issues with ankle

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Playing a week after suffering an ankle injury that kept him out of the Rockets' last game before the break, Harden was on the floor for 25 minutes, 50 seconds, scoring 15 points on 6-of-13 shooting, including 3-of-8 on 3-pointers, with three assists and six rebounds.

"It felt good to go out there and play with all these great players for my first time," he said. "I tried to make as many shots as possible. I couldn't make a layup, but I had a couple of 3s."

With the game in question, he was on the floor down the stretch with former teammate Kevin Durant, Blake Griffin, Kobe Bryant and Chris Paul as the West held on to win.

"We talked to him about his ankle," West coach Gregg Popovich said. "He felt it was no problem, and we tried to get him a little extra time here in Houston."

Durant, the former University of Texas standout who had a game-high 30 points, said he enjoyed being back on the floor with Harden.

"It was fun. Playing with him made me miss him a little bit in OKC," Durant said. "But I'm happy he's an All-Star, especially in the city where he plays. It was a lot of fun. I didn't want it to be over."

Harden said he misses his old teammates, too, but enjoyed the chance to spend time with them in practice and at Friday's charity events.

"When you leave someone, you're definitely going to miss them," he said. "This weekend, it was good to see each other and catch up on good times."

From the East perspective, coupled with memories of last year's NBA Finals, LeBron James said of Harden: "That's the same guy who was in Oklahoma City, just with a different uniform. He was a star in OKC, but he was coming off the bench. He was kind of shackled a little bit with Durant and Westbrook, but he's a star, and he deserves to be here."

Harden praised Popovich's approach to the game, adding, "He said, 'Don't treat this like an All-Star Game. Go out and try to win. You're in the middle of the season and don't want to create any bad habits.' "

Now it's back to work

The game was the capper of a busy break for Harden, who joined his mother, Monja Willis, on Friday for a volunteer stint at the Houston Food Bank and was a coach during Friday night's celebrity game.

Monday, it's likely back to rehab work on the ankle as he prepares for the Rockets' next game Wednesday night at home against, coincidentally, the Thunder as All-Star teammates Westbrook and Durant morph back into opponents once more.